The shoes worn by Michael Jordan during his legendary performance in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals were given to a Utah Jazz ballboy. The guy put the kicks up for auction, and 16 years later, he cashed in for a cool $104K. Per ESPN: “The shoes, brought to the market by Grey Flannel Auctions and consigned by former Utah Jazz ball boy Preston Truman, were worn by Jordan during Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals in which Jordan scored 38 points for the Chicago Bulls despite laboring up and down the court from feeling sick that day. The identity of the winning bidder was not immediately made public, but the amount paid blew away the previous record paid for a pair of game-used shoes, which were also worn by Jordan. A collector paid $31,070 just last month for a pair that Jordan wore in his rookie season. […] ‘I think my photo that Jordan’s bodyguard took with me standing there drove up the price because buyers didn’t have to worry if they were real,’ Truman said. Photos from the game and of the broadcast also showed Truman taking care of the Bulls bench. Even though Truman said he secured many pairs of game-used shoes from players during his seasons as a ball boy, he said he did it for the challenge instead of as a collector. Never getting attached to the shoes themselves made them easier to sell. ‘I have looked at the shoes maybe four times since putting them in a safety deposit box 16 years ago,’ Truman said. ‘I would go years without even thinking about it. … I just didn’t see the point to something so cool and a part of NBA history sitting at my bank anymore.’ The pair of size 13 shoes are also autographed by Jordan. About five years ago, Truman thought about parting with the shoes, so he provided Christie’s auction house with the details. After they came back with an estimate of $5,000, Truman put them back at the bank. This year, a friend convinced him to put them on the market and the estimate was more bullish from Grey Flannel, who sold a pair of game-used rookie Air Jordans for $21,780.”

“The former Jazz ball boy’s tale began in November 1996, with Truman standing slack-jawed while Jordan tied his shoes before a regular-season game. ‘Hey,’ Jordan called to Chicago Bulls trainer Chip Schaefer. ‘Where are my graham crackers and applesauce?’ This was, it seems, important. Schaefer stopped taping another player’s ankle and searched his bag: Graham crackers, but no sauce. So Jordan turned to Truman. ‘There will be no autographs for ball boys after the game if I don’t get my applesauce.’ Thus, with 45 minutes until the tip, Truman set off on a reckless dash through the Delta Center. Shouting ‘I’m looking for applesauce for Michael Jordan,’ he came up empty on floors one and two, but on the third floor a woman in a food-storage room gave him an industrial-size can. He procured a spoon and a can opener and sprinted back to present it all to a grinning Jordan. ‘You came through,’ he said, and asked the ball boy’s name. The Bulls lost that night, and MJ was slightly sour when, on the way out, he passed a table of items that people were hoping he’d sign. But he saw Truman and stopped to autograph a trading card the 18-year-old had in his pocket. ‘Maybe I’ll see you in June,’ he told him.

Well, what do you know? Truman was assigned to the visitor’s locker room for Games 3, 4 and 5, and he hatched a plan. He wanted shoes — not just Jordans, for which people in the ’90s would camp outside Foot Locker, but Jordan’s. He asked his mom to buy some graham crackers and Seneca Apple Sauce cups, and he had them waiting in MJ’s locker when he walked in. ‘You remembered?’ Jordan asked. ‘That’s my guy right there. It’s Preston, right?’ He managed not to squeal. ‘Yes, sir, I’m here to take care of you.’ Jordan said he appreciated that. […] The Jazz won twice to even the series 2-2, and Jordan’s food poisoning was evident as doctors and trainers checked his vitals before Game 5. He lay down in a back room with an IV and asked them to turn the lights off as they left. Truman walked in. He almost turned back when he saw Jordan’s eyes were closed, but His Airness had sensed him and asked that he run some tickets to will call. First, though, Truman leaned in and whispered — wondering whether this was a remotely sane thing to do — ‘Are you doing anything with your shoes after the game?’ Jordan looked him in the eye. ‘Why, you want them?’ ‘I would be honored,’ he said.

After the game, the shoes were underneath Jordan’s dressing table while Truman went about his work. The ball boy panicked when Charles Barkley stopped by to visit — Bryon Russell had asked for MJ’s shoes earlier in the season, and Gary Payton drew flak in the 1996 Finals for doing the same. But Chuck left without them. Jordan showered and dressed, and when the equipment manager reached down to pick the shoes up and pack them away, MJ told him to hold it. ‘Those are his,’ he said, pointing to Truman. He later signed both shoes while one of his bodyguards snapped photos. He then rubbed the top of Truman’s head and left.'”

If you tuned in during All-Star Weekend, you probably saw a new Gatorade commercial featuring former NBA coach Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan. In the ad, Coach Jackson recounts Jordan’s epic performance in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, and explains how proper fueling propelled his will to win. In what is known as “The Flu Game”, Jordan finished with 38 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, and with the game all but over, Jordan collapsed into Scottie Pippen’s arms, creating one of the most replayed moments in Finals history. Here’s the ad one more time, only because the moment never gets old.

The next time you’re at your favorite sneaker spot, take a good look at the shelves. Then check your wallet. December can easily become the most expensive month of your year because of the holidays, but what are you supposed to do when an influx of heat drops at the time of year you’re supposed to be thinking of others?

Ruining yourself financially with credit card debt is the most likely (and least sound) answer. Still, I’ve spent the last few days oogling what’s already out there and the best is still to come through in the next few weeks. There are a lot of grails out there this month for a lot of people. Check it out.

On store shelves right now are two colorways of the Air Jordan XII: The Rising Sun and the black/red Flu Game. True, they’ve swapped out the black leather for nubuck on the Flu Game, and they’ve replaced the TWO3 on the tongue with a 97, a sickface and 38 to commemorate Jordan’s performance in Game 5 of the 1997 Finals. But this colorway has long been coveted by Jordan heads and while it strays from its OG look a little bit, there’s an interest in the shoe from many.

Also worth noting is that a kids’ sized Jordan XII will release this month in a black/purple colorway that looks a lot better than it might sound. Still to come with the XII is the holiday appropriate and long-anticipated release of the white/red makeup. As I went into detail on in the KICKS issue, this is the first release of this OG colorway and JB has kept true to that release in colors, materials and the small nuances that make up the shoe. It’s set to drop on Dec. 19

After its initial release 10 years ago, the And1 Tai Chi is back for your consumption. Four primary releases have been made with the shoe so far, with the infamous red/white leading the way. Also out is a black/blue, black/white and a black/white/silver Foot Locker exclusive. The shoe will stay out there through 2010, with low-cut versions on the way.

Christmas itself will not go unnoticed by the shoe companies. The Jordan XI Space Jam is easily the biggest release of the season, if not the entire year. The release date has fluctuated since the shoe was announced in the summer. Initially expected to go on sale at Thanksgiving, the shoe was pushed back to Dec. 23. Over the last few days, the date has apparently shifted again, going back a day to Dec. 24. Jumpman23.com confirmed this on Monday, while there is still a slight rumbling saying that the date could in fact jump back to the 23rd. For now though, you’ll likely have to spend the night before Christmas Eve parked out in front of your sneaker spot of choice (a note to readers in Canada–these shoes aren’t as limited as was earlier anticipated, and should at least be available at the major retailers you’d normally pick up your high end Jordans at).

Scheduled for a Dec. 26 release is another highly anticipated shoe in the Kobe V. The shoe’s first colorway is an appropriately named Chaos. The shoe looks like it was chaotically thrown together, melding three or four different ideas and putting them into one sneaker. I’ll be looking forward to a more consistent, less chaotic makeup of the shoe in 2010.

Now, somewhere in the midst of all of this sits the LeBron VII Christmas edition. You can only assume that it’s what LBJ will rock on Christmas Day when his Cavs take on Kobe and the Lakers. With that in mind, the shoe should release before Christmas Day, though there haven’t been any confirmed dates on a release yet. Consider also that there are three colorways out of the LBJ VII already, and if you listen closely enough, you can actually hear your bank account mourning the sudden loss of all of your savings in such a short span.

But what else are you gonna do with this stuff? Pass on it? Live a life full of regret? I could tell you stories about regret, people. Jordan XI concord, flint grey XIII’s…they’re terrible experiences, depressing tales that have left herringbone patterned scars on my soul. And I live with them every day. On that cheerful note, uh…happy holidays folks.

With imagery of the upcoming release of the black/red Air Jordan XII becoming available this week (a belated thanks to the guys at SneakerFiles for the initial heads-up on this), one of MJ’s best playoff performances has been etched into my thoughts the last few days.

The pics of the upcoming release show that there’s a pretty significant change coming to this shoe. It may not sit well with people who were anticipating the same shoe they fell in love with in 1996-97.

Gone from the ’09 version of the shoe is the black leather that was originally on it, in favor of nubuck. Another minor change to the shoe is the stitching on the tongue. Instead of the traditional T W O 3 that runs down the tongue of the XII is the year of MJ’s flu-game (97) that he had against the Utah Jazz, where he scored 38 points in Game 5 of the Finals in spite of a stomach virus/flu/food poisoning. The point total is at the bottom of the tongue, and sandwiched inbetween the two numbers is a sick face.

Not sure if this makes it a retro+ colorway. What do you guys think?

I also wanted to draw some attention to something that the people at Converse are doing. They may have lost D-Wade to Jordan Brand last week, but they’ve got something cool going with one of their classic sneakers.

At the Converse site, you can design your own Weapon. I tried this out when the site (and color options) was still in its infancy and created the shoe you see below. Check it out, even if you just like going to these kinds of sites to work on things and look at them from a design perspective.